From: Mohammed Munirat Nasir, Gusau.
The recent demand of the refund of the sum of N13 billion security expenses from the Federal Government by Governor Abdul’Aziz Yari of Zamfara State, has been described as the height of fraud and corruption.
The assertion was made by the Chairman Dansadau Farmers Cooperative Association in Maru Local Government area of Zamfara State, Alhaji Ya’u Muhammad Dansadau in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun.
Dansadau said the demand by Governor Yari did not only lack sincerity, but it was an a front on the sensibilities of the Federal Government and Nigerians.
In the words of Dansadau, “Please, tell me how many soldiers and other security agencies are involved the the fight in Zamfara since the beginning of of the armed banditry and cattle rustling in the state that a whopping sum of 13 Billion Naira would have been spent by the state government on security,” he asked.
He added, If the state government had taken adequate security measures when the killings began as claimed by the government, the state will not be in this situation now and therefore want the governor to be called to give account how he spent 13 Billion Naira on security between 2011 and now.
“Last July, when President Muhammadu Buhari was to officially launch the Army Day Celebration 2016 and exercise Harbin Kunama in Dansadau forest, the state government could not pay just one Million Naira compensation for farmers whose farmers produce were to be affected in the location of the exercise, but now he is claiming the 13 Billion Naira was spent by the state government,” he asked.
It would be recalled that Governor Yari, when he received the Minister of Defence, Gen. Muhammed Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd), in the state for an inspection of weapons collected from bandits, had demanded that Federal Government refund the sum of N13 billion security expenses his government incurred in the course of fighting cattle rustling and armed banditry in the state from 2011 to date.